


Christmas With the Cookie Monster

by ChasingRabbits



Series: A Couple of Kooks [9]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Parents, Bottom Dean, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Family Drama, M/M, Parents Castiel & Dean Winchester, Top Castiel, dadstiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 21:52:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2041554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChasingRabbits/pseuds/ChasingRabbits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean, Emma, and Castiel make their first Sioux Falls Christmas trip as a family. Emma meets her second set of grandparents. Decisions are made.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas With the Cookie Monster

Next year, they’re having Christmas at their place.

Castiel scoffs as he slips a pair of pink, fleece-lined snow boots onto Emma’s feet and remarks, “All that California sunshine has clearly spoiled you.”

Dean scowls, leaning against the bedframe of his and Sam’s old room. Bobby and Ellen (Ellen, mostly) have insisted that it’s now a family tradition to have Christmas at their house. Dean is all for traditions and he wants his kid to know her family, but he swears it is getting colder and colder here every single winter.

Naturally, he refuses to acknowledge that the problem may in fact lie with him and not the American Midwest.

“I like snow,” says Emma.

“I know you do, baby,” Dean smushes a knit cap onto her head.

“I wanna build a snowman like Frozen,” Emma insists as soon as Cas deems her ready to go outside.

“And so we shall,” Cas agrees. “Right after we go visit your grandparents.”

“They’re downstairs,” Emma giggles, assuming her papa is just pulling her leg again.

“I know,” Cas nods. “But Grammy Ellen and Grandpa Bobby are daddy’s parents. I’ve got parents too.”

“No,” Emma frowns, like this is outside the realm of her understanding.

“Yes,” Cas just insists back. “And we’re going to go to their house and… probably church.”

“Aw, man,” Dean groans. “We don’t have to go with them, do we?”

Castiel raises his eyebrow and looks back at Dean, “Yes, we do.”

“Man, she’s two,” Dean argues. “She’s not gonna sit through a fucking Christmas service.”

“Can we discuss this later?” asks Cas, and Dean sighs, but concedes.  Emma lets out a gleeful giggle as Cas swoops her up and sets her back down on the floor. She runs out of the room to get started on her descent to the first floor, which she insists on doing by herself.

Cas grips Dean’s shoulders and gives him a shake, “I’m sorry I gave you shit for not telling your parents about Emma right away.”

“Dude, your parents know she exists,” Dean rests his hands on Cas’ hips. He wouldn’t outright say it, but Cas has been nervous about telling his parents about his relationship with Dean, about Emma being his daughter. Dean doesn’t blame him, but it’s one of those things he knows he can’t fix.

As Garth would say, ‘Sometimes you gotta put away your tools and be the rock they can lean on.’

He may be weird, but he’s pretty insightful.

“Oh, for the love--Dean! Cas! Are you letting your two-year-old climb down stairs by herself?”

“Shit,” Dean springs back from Cas and rushes out the door. Emma is on the third step from the bottom of the stairs, not on her feet, but on her butt. “Did she fall?”

“I’m going down on my butt!” Emma exclaims.

“Point is, she coulda fallen,” says Ellen. “I’m all for independence, but you at least gotta stand by to spot her.”

“She’s going down the stairs, not lifting,” Dean argues, but decides it’s not worth it when Emma reaches the floor and stands up.

She puts her arms up in the air and declares, “I did it!”

“Yes you did, sweetpea,” Ellen scoops her up. “Grammy’s precious little pumpkin, aren’t you?”

Dean strolls down the stairs and sits over by the door, shoving his boots into place as his final piece of armor. Cas’ parents aren’t fond of him on the best of days, and now he’s about to walk into the lion’s den with nothing but pornographic recollections of Cas fucking him in the shower this morning.

He is so screwed.

“Daddy,” Emma comes to him with a cookie in her hand. “Can I have this?”

Dean grabs her wrist and purses his lips, “Looks like a cookie.”

He sniffs, “Smells like a cookie.”

He takes a bite out of it (“Daddy no!”)and says through a full mouth, “Yup, that’s a cookie. Munch away, baby girl.”

“You ate the best part,” Emma frowns at him.

“It’s a sugar cookie, the whole thing’s the best part,” Dean pulls her into his lap and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “Tell you what, next cookie I have, you get to have the best part, okay?”

Emma’s brows stay furrowed and eyes stay cold as she takes a bite of her cookie.

Defiance? Or perhaps a challenge. Either way, Dean laughs and tightens his arms around her and blows a raspberry into her cheek.

“Well, well,” Cas grins as he comes down the stairs. “Are you two having fun?”

“Daddy bit my cookie,” Emma announces.

“Whoa, way to throw your old man under the bus, Narky McNarkerson,” Dean gooses her on the side. “C’mon, up you go. We got some grandparents to meet.”

Emma stands and walks over to Cas, eyeing Dean the entire way, betrayal clear on her face. Cas laughs and plucks her up off the ground.

“I’ll meet you in the car,” he says, and Dean nods. He rolls to his feet and grabs his coat from the couch.

“Well, Jo is gettin’ Sam from the airport,” says Ellen from the kitchen. “You think you three’ll be back for dinner?”

Dean knows that Cas anticipates going to church, but it’s… it’s not gonna happen. And not because Dean doesn’t want to go to church, either. If that’s what Cas wanted to do, then he’d do it. But, first of all, it’s not what Cas wants to do, and second of all, his parents aren’t going to let this shit fly.

“We should be, yeah,” Dean nods, coming into the kitchen. “I don’t think Cas knows it yet, but his parents still kinda hate me. I don’t exactly have high hopes for this going well.”

“They are a persnickety bunch, aren’t they?” Ellen sighs and looks up from the plate of naked sugar cookies she’s arranging. “But they’re his family and he’s yours, and if this is important to him, I don’t want you breathin’ one negative word about it.”

“All right, all right!” Dean holds up his hands. “But if they spurn my baby, I’m crackin’ skulls.”

Ellen shakes her head, but doesn’t perpetuate the conversation. Dean takes this as a dismissal and heads out to the car, where Cas already has Emma strapped into her car seat.

“Everyone ready to go?” he asks.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Cas sighs and shuts Emma’s door.

“Hey, c’mere,” Dean pulls him in by the front of his jacket and gives him a reassuring kiss. Cas leans into it hard, holding on just a little longer than he means to do. “They decide to throw down, I got your back.”

Cas chuckles, “Thank you, Dean.”

“No joke,” Dean gives him another kiss. “I got dibs on stabbing Zach, you know I called that shit the first time I met the prick.”

“Yes, I know,” Cas tries to pretend he’s not smiling. “Please don’t murder anyone in front of our child.”

“Can’t make any promises,” Dean shrugs, and climbs into the car. He has to admit, this is the most nervous he’s ever been driving to Cas’ house. When he was a kid, he would wait for Cas at the end of the block, just so his parents didn’t have to remind him that he wasn’t welcome inside.

By the time they park, get Emma out of her seat, and walk up to the front door, the front door swings open and they’re met with Gabe’s smiling face.

Emma tightens her arms around Dean’s neck.

“Well, hey there, boys,” he greets Cas and Dean, and then turns a jovial smile on Emma. “And how sweet, you brought me a snack.”

“I’m not a snack!” Emma tightens her arms even more.

“Sure you are,” Gabriel shrugs, stepping back to let them inside. “Dunk you in some batter, fry you up, serve you up with some ketchup, you’ll be hella tasty.”

Emma lets out a whine and buries her face in Dean’s neck.

“Honey, nobody is going to eat you,” Cas sighs, and turns a tired look on Gabriel. “This is really the first impression you wanted to make? A baby eater?”

“I prefer toddler gobbler,” Gabriel shuts the door.

“Where’s mom?” Cas asks.

“Christmas Eve, I assume she’s devouring the souls of nonbelievers,” Gabriel shrugs and opens up his arms. “What, Uncle Gabe gets the shaft now?”

“You wish,” Dean shakes his head and sets Emma down on the white, white, white carpet. “Em, that’s your Uncle Gabriel. You know how Uncle Sammy is daddy’s brother?”

“Daddy’s ginormous Ent brother.”

“Gabe,” Dean warns before turning back to Emma. “Uncle Gabe is papa’s brother.”

“Oh,” Emma tries to shove her hand in her mouth, but she’s impeded by a pair of mittens and makes a face. Gabriel crouches down in front of her and extends a hand in greeting.

“If you’re anything like your pops here, I bet you like a formal introduction,” he says. “Nice to meet you, Emma.”

Emma stares at his hand for a few long seconds before she gives it a smack.

“Oh, Christ,” Gabriel hangs his head. “You chuckleheads got her high-fiving but you haven’t taught her how to shake hands?”

“She’s not a dog,” Cas frowns, “We can’t train her.”

“And you are aware that human beings are all trained, right?” Gabriel raises an eyebrow and then looks back to Emma. “Listen, kiddo, I got a tray of gingerbread men in the other room and only one mouth to put ‘em in. You think you could help me out with that?”

He looks up at Cas, “Is she allowed to have sugar?”

“Of course,” Dean answers before Cas can. “For fuck’s sake, what kind of monsters do you think we are?”

“Daddy eats my cookies,” Emma turns a very offended look at Dean.

“What a schmuck,” Gabriel shakes his head. “Well, dad’s not allowed in the kitchen, so you’re all squared away.”

She looks back at Dean, and he nods. Emma lets out a gleeful yelp and bounces off to the kitchen behind Gabriel. Cas immediately lets out a relieved breath and sits on the stairs. Everything is about as orderly as Dean remembers from the handful of times he’d made it past the front door.

“How you doin’,” Dean walks over and sits beside him. Cas groans and hangs his head.

“Thank you for being here with me,” he says.

“Ah, come on,” Dean drapes his arm over his shoulder. “Best seat in the house, wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.”

A door opens and shuts, indicating that they are no longer alone with Gabriel in the house. Cas goes tense against him and Dean gives him a kiss on the jaw.

“You’re okay,” he reassures. “No matter what.”

Castiel nods and stands, just as his mom comes in. Amy Smith looks the same as she ever did, in her matronly cardigan and high-waisted jeans, with her sensible sneakers and multipurpose haircut. Dean has never liked her, but he’s not sure if that’s because she’s never liked him or because she really is that unlikable.

It could be both.

“Dean, I didn’t know you’d be here,” she says. “Don’t you have a child you should be looking after?”

“She’s in the kitchen with Gabriel,” Castiel explains and pushes his glasses up on his face. “Her name is Emma. That’s sort of what we wanted to talk to you about.”

“We,” she repeats. Dean pushes himself to his feet, standing beside Cas, close enough that he knows he has Dean’s support but with enough space not to arouse suspicion.

“I’ve been helping Dean with her, as you know,” Cas maintains a level voice and a firm posture. “As it turns out, our relationship has developed. Dean is my partner and Emma is my daughter.”

The relief is palpable as Cas gets the words out, and now all they can do is wait while Amy processes the information. It’s not until this moment that he realizes just how truly lucky he is to have Bobby and Ellen. Salt of the earth, down home folks, sure, but they’ve never been less than welcoming to Cas, even after they found out that his relationship with Dean had become romantic.

Amy finally speaks, “If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not a very funny one.”

“Why would I joke about this?” Cas’ brow furrows.

“Castiel,” she gives him that hard stare. “I admit, I have been pressuring you and your brother and sister about getting married, but I mean real marriage. Partners, what does that even mean?”

“Perhaps ‘boyfriend’ is an easier term for you to digest, despite the fact that neither of us are children,” says Cas and Dean has to bite his lips shut. Amy’s eyes go wide but the rest of her face does not move. Dean wonders if it’s at all possible for people to spontaneously combust.

And to make things even better, Zachariah chooses this moment to stride into the foyer. He stops at the sight before him and folds his arms over his chest. He hasn’t even opened his mouth yet and all Dean wants to do is suckerpunch the hoity toity fuck.

“Dean, what a surprise to see you here,” he says. “To what do we owe this visit?”

“Papa!” Emma dashes out of the kitchen before Gabriel can grab her. She wields two cookies, handing them both to Cas, “It’s one for you and one for daddy.”

Dean grabs Emma and shoots Gabe a dirty look over Amy’s shoulder. Gabriel shrugs, so Dean suggests close to Emma’s ear, “I bet you Uncle Gabe will build a snowman with you.”

This excites her beyond comprehension. She wriggles so hard that Dean has to put her down, and she bounds over to Gabriel, belting out her Frozen song yet again. Gabriel takes the hint and grabs Emma, whispering something to her that Dean can’t hear before they disappear out the front door.

“What on earth is going on here?” asks Zachariah.

“Dean is my partner,” Castiel explains once more. “He and I are raising Emma together. Emma is your granddaughter.”

The look of confusion on Zachariah’s face is just plain embarrassing, until he asks, “And how does that make her our granddaughter?”

Castiel cocks his head, “Well, being that I am your child and she is my child--”

“Do you have paperwork?” asks Zachariah. “Have you adopted her?”

“Well, no--”

“Then she’s not our child and ergo not our granddaughter,” Zachariah shrugs.

“Well, by that logic, Cas isn’t your kid either,” Dean poses.

“And partner, what does that even mean?” asks Zachariah.

“Christ, it’s like a fucking broken record,” Dean mutters.

“You will watch your language in this house, Dean Winchester,” Amy snaps.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Castiel explains, yet again.

“You’re gay now,” Zachariah concludes. “Well, am I glad you went to California. So glad to know it hasn’t corrupted you in any way.”

“How can you be gay?” asks Amy. “For goodness sake, you dated that April for a long time, didn’t you? And Meg! What happened to Meg?”

“We broke up,” Castiel brushes it aside. “And just because I have slept with women doesn’t mean I don’t sleep with men too.”

“Which is it?” Zachariah’s eyes go cold.

“I am not exclusively attracted to any sex or gender, but that’s neither here nor there,” Castiel’s voice remains calm, but Dean can see beads of sweat forming on his neck. “I came here to tell you that this is my family, and I’ve done that. No arguments, no denial, Dean is my partner and Emma is my daughter… whether you approve or not.”

Amy turns a stony stare on Dean, “I don’t know what you did to my son--”

“Do not answer that,” Castiel insists just as Dean says, “Fucked him, mostly.”

“Wow,” Cas rubs his eyes under his glasses. “Helpful, Dean.”

“Well, I’m fucking sick of it,” Dean snaps back. “Emma’s my kid, you’re my partner, you’ve been there for me and her since day one, you’re her dad too. I don’t have to sit around and listen to them shit all over our family.”

“This isn’t a family!” Amy declares. “This is… I don’t know what this is, but I know it’s not right. God knows it’s not right.”

“Really, Amy?” Castiel’s voice goes deep into his chest. “You reject my family on religious grounds, yet I’m curious to know how you think God feels about you being on your third husband. I love Dean and Emma very much, and I think if God were to care about anything, he would care about that.

“And I would also remind you that the innermost circle of hell is reserved for the treacherous. So, while I dodge hellfire and circumvent demons for daring to love outside of the natural order, you two will be in the VIP section with your fearless leader, the first and most famous traitor of them all. Just remember that no matter what you do, no matter how much good will you rack up for the rest of your lives, the moment you decided to reject your child is the moment you sealed your fate as one of Satan’s finest.”

His chest rises and falls with one big breath. He then gives them a smile and says, “Merry Christmas.”

And that’s that. Cas grabs Dean by the coat sleeve and drags him out the door. He’s shaking, they both are, and when Emma sees them she immediately abandons her lumpy pile of snow to Castiel.

“Papa, look!”

“Hey, kiddo,” Dean grabs her and settles her on his hip. “Popsicle’s gonna need a minute to himself, okay? Like you get in preschool when you want to be by yourself.”

Emma nods in understanding. When they pass Gabriel, who has since stopped construction on his half a snowman, Castiel mutters something about calling him later and gets in the car without another word.

Dean has to strap Emma into her carseat. She’s a smart kid, and she picks up on their vibes way too easily. Cas’ sadness makes the air inside the car heavy, so much so that Dean can even feel it. When he finally gets behind the wheel and starts the car, he suggests, “I think we could all use a little pick-me-up.”

Which, of course, is how they end up at a coffee shop with two steaming cups of fresh coffee and a tiny hot chocolate for Emma. It’s still too hot for her to sip, so she sits patiently in Cas’ lap while she waits.

“I didn’t expect much,” Cas finally admits. “But that exceeded even my worst expectations.”

“No one came after us with a shotgun,” Dean points out, only to get The Eye from Cas. He shrinks and quickly apologizes, at which Cas sighs and buries his nose in Emma’s hair.

“How do they not understand the meaning of ‘partner’,” Dean asks then.

“I don’t know,” Cas sighs and tightens his arms around Emma. “Did you enjoy meeting your uncle, at least?”

“He gave me cookies,” Emma replies.

“You’re easy to please, Em,” Dean smiles and then looks up at Cas. “Man, fuck them. We’re awesome, and if they don’t wanna be in your life then fuck them.”

“It’s not that simple, Dean,” Castiel says. “They’re my parents. Imagine if they were Bobby and Ellen.”

“They’re not, though,” Dean leans forward. “They’re your parents, and your parents… they’re kinda dicks.”

Cas sniffs hard and nods, “I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t wish things had gone differently.”   

At this, Emma wriggles and shifts until she’s kneeling on Cas’ lap, so she can put her arms around his neck. Warmth blossoms in Dean’s chest at the sight.

“It’s okay papa,” she says. “Daddy and I love you.”

Dean looks out the window.

If ever he were going to cry in public, now would be it, especially when he hears Cas say back, “I love you too, sweetheart.”

oo

Dinner is at least a nice ending to an otherwise abysmal day. Sam is in his senior year at Stanford already, Jo has been kicking ass and taking names on her community college’s women’s basketball team, and even though it’s all great, even though they all laugh through the entire meal, there’s a melancholy rolling off of Cas that’s impossible to ignore.

After getting her in her jammies, Emma pulls a book out of her bag and brings it to Dean.

“Can you read to me,” she instructs more than asks.

“Let’s see if papa wants to read with us,” Dean picks her up and brings her downstairs. Sam has one of his school books propped open on his lap, while Jo scrubs dishes in the kitchen and Ellen decorates some cookies.

Cas has draped himself over the couch, kept busy by fiddling with his phone.

“Hey, pumpkin,” says Ellen as Dean sets Emma on the floor. “Whaddya say, you wanna help grammy decorate some more cookies for Santa?”

Emma’s book falls from her hands, abandoned for frosting and sprinkles. Dean chuckles and sets the book back up on the table, and grabs one of Emma’s hands, “Let’s roll your sleeves up, baby girl.”

Once her sleeves are well past her elbows, Dean gives her a kiss on the cheek, “Maybe Uncle Sammy or Auntie Jo will read to you when you’re done.”

“Daddy, I wanna make cookies,” she pushes his face away and reaches for the cookie Ellen hands her.

“Okay, Miss Thing,” Dean laughs. “Sheesh.”

Dean walks over to where Cas rests on the couch and climbs over him. He grabs Cas’ phone and slides it into his pocket before sitting back on his hips.

“Dude, are you guys gonna be gross?” Sam whines.

“C’mon, Sammy,” Dean scoffs. “Our kid is right there.”

“Never mind that no one else wants to see you two necking,” Sam looks over. “Merry Christmas, you guys can have the bedroom as long as you want tonight.”

Dean glances back at Cas, who gives a nod and sits up. Dean hops up and takes the steps two by two until he’s up in the old room, rifling through their suitcase until he finds their stash of condoms and lube.

Only, when Cas comes in and shuts the door, he slides onto the bed beside Dean and wraps his arms around him.

“Hey, baby,” Dean strokes his hair. “What’s up?”

“I don’t want to talk,” Cas replies and pulls Dean down onto the bed. Dean lays a hand on Cas’ cheek, stroking his thumb just under the rims of his glasses.

“What do you want?” he asks. Cas closes his eyes and pulls Dean into a kiss. It’s slow, careful, and fuck, Dean forgets how new this thing is between the two of them. They haven’t been together forever, despite how much it may feel that way. It’s brand new and familiar all at once.

And, oddly enough, in a house full of people, this is the most alone they’ve been in months.

Dean pulls at Cas until he settles on top of him. He wraps him up in his limbs, pulls him in until they’re as close as they can be. Gradually, Cas settles into it and cups Dean’s face in his hands, plies his mouth with his tongue and lets out a soft little sigh that feels a lot like finally.

“Did you lock the door?” Dean asks as soon as they break for breath. Cas nods against him and moves in for another kiss.

Hands start to roam then, and Dean will say this: Cas is very adept at picking up on what people like. They’d only slept together a few times before he found that spot on Dean’s neck, before he realized just how much Dean liked having fingers inside him, before they both realized just how hard Dean will come if you kiss him and whisper nice things in his ear while fucking him beyond coherence.

Tonight Cas is silent, though, and that’s fine, because if he doesn’t want to talk then he doesn’t have to talk. Dean will hold him tight and kiss him and try to make him feel as good as he can.

Cas sits up and pulls off Dean’s shirt, wasting no time after in getting his lips back on skin. He sucks love bites into Dean’s shoulder, into his chest, into the places his clothes will cover, where only Dean and Cas will know about them.

Crazy as it is, it makes a smile climb up on Dean’s face.

Cas runs his fingers over the growing swell in Dean’s pants, but no matter how hard Dean begs for a hand or a mouth of something, he doesn’t give in. He keeps kissing down Dean’s torso at the same excruciating pace, and Dean arches into ever last brush of his lips and swipe of his tongue.

“C’mon, Cas,” Dean whines. “I’m goin’ nuts up here.”

“That sounds like a Dean problem, Dean,” Cas murmurs into the trail of hair just below his navel. Long fingers reach up and pop the the button of Dean’s fly, drag down the zipper and peel denim away from skin. At the sight of Dean’s erection, Cas looks up and says, “You are aware that under any other circumstance, I would prolong this until you begged, right?”

Dean can’t help the laugh that huffs out of his chest, and he comes back, “Yeah, whatever, tough guy.”

A grunt escapes Cas’ throat and he pushes himself to his knees, reaches behind his head and pulls off his shirt before he descending back onto Dean. Lips and teeth and tongues go everywhere as they both struggle to get the other out of his remaining clothes.

Dean takes advantage of the shift in balance to knock Cas off his knees and onto his chest. Cas lets out a breathy laugh and nips Dean’s jaw, “You fucker.”

“I’m diggin’ the attitude, Novak,” Dean grins. “s’hot.”

“Don’t suck up,” Cas grinds their cocks together, bringing a whimper out of Dean and an even bigger smile out of Cas. He teases a lick over Dean’s top lip and declares, “That’s better.”

Cas closes a fist around the both of them, but doesn’t stroke. He just squeezes and Dean arches up into it, because that is the effect Cas has started to have on him.

Dean can’t say he’s upset about it.

“What did you do with the lube?” Cas pulls back, leaving Dean hot and hard up and pulsing everywhere.

Cas returns soon enough, though, pressing soothing kisses to Dean’s jaw as he teases him with a slick finger.

“Like that?” Cas’ grin grows ever more.

“Shut up,” Dean huffs.

“Whatever,” Cas kisses the end of his nose and slides his finger inside Dean. The teasing ends there, and soon Dean’s whimpers and moans are met not with snide, biting remarks, but tender kisses and gentle hands.

By the time Cas is three fingers deep, Dean is bright red all over and covered in sweat and spit and precome and it’s so dirty, but Dean wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Cas could make him come like this, could make Dean wait until he’s come and he wouldn’t even have to try. He’s just good at this and Dean is damn putty in his hands.

“Condom?” Cas asks then, and Dean is so thrown that he opens his eyes. Cas’ glasses have long since disappeared, and he looks down with that serious face and those lust-blown eyes and Dean shakes his head.

“I’m good,” he says. “You?”

Cas nods back and sits back on his knees, frantically trying to locate their lube for a second time. Dean props himself up on his elbows, throat dry and insides itching to be filled. Cas’ hair sticks up every which way and goddamn he is just--

Amazing.

Efficiently, Cas slicks up his cock and pulls Dean in against him.

“Okay?” Cas asks, even though Dean has told him countless times that he doesn’t have to ask.

“Yeah,” Dean scoots closer, so the blunt head of Cas’ erection starts to breach his hole. “C’mon, we don’t got all night, kid.”

“Kid,” Cas shakes his head. “Two years older than you.”

“God, like we really have time for this,” Dean presses himself against Cas even more. “Please, Cas. I need it.”

Shit. If that doesn’t make Cas grin like two motherfuckers. Suddenly, Dean finds himself pushed back into the mattress, his legs splayed open and Cas thrusting all the way inside him.

Holy shit, he’s going to split in half.

“Fuck!” Dean smacks a hand over his mouth, and Cas smiles wider. “No, no. Bad fuck, bad fuck.”

Cas stills immediately, “Are you okay?”

“S’too fast,” Dean scrunches his eyes shut. “Fuck, gimme a sec.”

“You told me to hurry,” Cas huffs.

“Twelve years, when has listening to me ever been a good idea?” Dean wraps his arms around Cas’ neck and digs his fingernails into his own skin.

“You’re impossible,” Cas kisses his neck, focusing on those little spots that bring Dean back down to earth. Dean sighs under the attention and swallows hard.

“‘kay, I’m good,” he decides. Cas nods, pulls out almost all the way so he can slick himself up a little more before he sinks back in.

Much better.

Cas sets a lazy rhythm initially, building Dean up to the moderate and then mind-warpingly hard fuck that results in Dean scratching up Cas’ back and the bed frame smacking a little too loudly into the wall. The only way Cas is able to keep him and his porn star lungs from waking the whole neighborhood is by biting down on Dean’s shoulder.

Dean can’t even catch enough of a breath to make any noise at all. He can feel Cas hit every good part of him, can feel every last bit of this day channel out of Cas’ body and slam into his instead.

If this is how he can help Cas stop hurting, Dean is more than fine with it.

“Dean...”

“Close?”

Cas nods and slows his pace.

“Man, don’t hold back,” Dean huffs. “C’mon, this ain’t all you got. Fuck me like you mean it, baby.”

Cas moans and picks up the pace once again.

“Fuck,” Dean lets out a laugh. “Damn, you fuck me so good, Cas. Come on, baby. C’mon, I know you need it. I want it.”

A final series of grunts and groans and Dean feels a flood of warmth.

Well, he does not hate how that feels.

Cas nuzzles him, kisses the new bites in his skin, strokes over the overly sensitive spots on Dean’s stomach, stops when he comes to Dean’s erection between them. He sits up, eyes rife with apology.

“Dean,” he murmurs. “Why didn’t--”

“s’fine,” Dean pulls away from Cas, wincing as they pull apart. He has Cas’ come coating his insides--so what if he has to get himself off?

“It’s not,” Cas insists, though, and pins Dean’s thighs to the mattress before he can move away any further. He bends down and takes Dean into his mouth.

Dean swears loudly enough to make Cas laugh around him, and it sends him vibrating like he’s been working a jackhammer all day. Dean’s breaths come too quick as Cas leads him the very short way back to the edge. He doesn’t even get to issue a warning before he feels his muscles go taut and every last thought drain out of his mind.

And Cas swallows, because he’s Cas and that’s just the kind of thing he does. When he pulls off, he leaves Dean shaking, sweaty, and numb to everything outside of this utter euphoria.

Cas sighs after a few moments, “We should get cleaned up.”

Dean hums an agreement and sits up. He doesn’t feel like moving, really, but Cas is right. It’s not like they have all the time in the world to cuddle up to one another after sex. Even if Sam said the room was theirs for as long as they wanted it, the kid still needs a place to sleep. And Emma would flip her shit if he and Cas didn’t tuck her in.

“Hey,” Dean rubs his face as Cas steps back into his boxers. Cas looks completely disheveled when he turns his attention back to Dean, and Dean has to fight a smile so he can ask, “You okay?”

Cas steps forward and bends to kiss Dean, firm and reassuring.

“I think I’ll be fine,” he hums. “Are you okay?”

“Never better, man,” Dean gives him a lopsided grin.

That gets him another kiss and an, “I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean rolls his eyes, unable to hide his smile any longer. “You too, dork.”

oo

As soon as Emma is asleep, Dean and Cas take to playing Santa. Cas grabs the presents from the trunk of their car while Dean takes to stuffing the stockings over the fireplace. Ellen’s mother made her a stocking when she was a kid, and when Jo was born she made one for her. When she married Bobby, she made one for him. Those stockings were one of the first things Dean noticed when he and Sam first got here.

They came a little after Christmas, right before the new year, when the holiday was technically over but the spirit still hung heavy in the air. Dean remembered seeing those stockings, handmade and well loved, and felt a twinge of bitterness at knowing that he and Sam would be on their way out long before anyone was thinking about stockings again.

Around a month before the next Christmas, Bobby and Ellen sat them down for what looked like would be a serious conversation. What Dean thought would be the end turned out to be what solidified their stay. Ellen handed them each their own stockings, Dean’s a deep forest green and Sam’s the color of red wine. Each had the corresponding brother’s name embroidered in gold along the top.

Their old stockings had come from a drugstore, quick replacements made on a tight budget after dad had fucked up the ones mom had originally gotten for them.

Sam was quicker to celebrate than Dean, throwing his arms around Ellen’s neck right then and there. The only reason Dean ever came around was because of Sam--seeing Sam so happy for the first time in forever made Dean happy.

He’d never had such a sense of belonging until he saw his stocking hung up on the fireplace, right between Jo and Sam.

His brother and his sister.

As of last year, a purple stocking joined the mix, ‘Emma’ emblazoned across the top.

As of this year, a blue stocking with Cas’ name lumps in with the rest, the set now as complete as it can be.

Dean finishes stocking stuffing duty sooner than Cas can get the presents arranged. Over on the couch, Sam has passed out with a book on his chest. It’s surreal to think of how much they’ve been through, about where their lives have led them. Sam’s going to go to law school, he’s got a great girlfriend and a plan for his future, and okay so Dean may not have a degree or a plan, but he’s got a damn good kid and a best friend and partner who loves him.

For two hoodlum orphans, they didn’t do too badly for themselves.

Dean grabs Santa’s cookies from where they sit on the hearth and plops down next to Cas.

“Take a break there, Hermey,” he says and snags one of Emma’s cookies off the plate. It’s a messily decorated reindeer, slathered in red and green frosting.

“Why, Dean,” Cas turns to him, completely serious, “Are you suggesting we eat Santa’s cookies?”

“Whatever, we did the legwork, we get the dough,” and then he lets out a hearty laugh. “Get it? Dough? Cookies?”

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Cas shakes his head, a smile on his face. Dean drapes his arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t think,” he says, “I know.”

Cas takes a cookie off the plate, pausing only to swipe a finger through the frosting and smear it over Dean’s cheek.

“Hey!” Dean laughs. “Asshole.”

“That’s nice,” Cas smiles. “You should wear rouge more often.”

There are five cookies and only two of them. Cas passes up the opportunity to eat the last one, so Dean takes that as a welcome to take it himself. Just as he stands to put the plate back, he notices movement by the stairs, followed by a sudden, “Daddy, no!”

And that’s how they end up with a two-year-old in the middle of a meltdown at ten o’clock on Christmas Eve. Sam startles awake, ready to leap into action, as this is obviously the apocalypse if Emma is screaming this loud. Tears, snot bubbles, red in the face and hyperventilating, Emma crumples onto the floor.

“Baby, it’s okay,” Dean tries to pick her up, but she thrashes away from him. He can’t really understand what she’s saying, apart from the fact that Santa will never come and daddy eats everyone’s cookies.

“Good Lord,” Bobby comes into the living room. “What the hell did you do, boy?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Dean exclaims.

“That ain’t nothin’,” says Bobby as Cas manages to get her up into his arms. “Where the hell are Ellen and Jo?”

“At church still, I think,” Sam replies over Emma, though Bobby and Dean can barely hear him.

“Honey, daddy didn’t eat all the cookies, we still have more,” they hear Cas’ attempt to soothe her.

Through her sobs, Dean can gather that Emma made those cookies special for Santa.

They’re right back where they were two years ago, except this time she’s got two year old lungs and those things are powerful. And now they’re all swept up in a shitstorm of emotions that Emma can only express through wailing and thrashing.

Cas, doing what he does best, sits down on the couch and pulls Emma back against his chest. He holds her firmly around the middle and starts breathing in and out. She kicks her legs and tries to get away, but Cas just holds her.

And, wouldn’t you know it, she starts to calm down.

After a few minutes she goes limp, sniffling still, but no longer so worked up.

“Holy shit,” Sam marvels.

“She gonna be okay?” asks Bobby, and Cas nods.

Everyone sticks around for a few minutes, just to make sure the storm has actually passed. Emma remains still against Cas, though, eyes barely open as she loses the fight to stay awake.

When Sam and Bobby finally head back upstairs, Dean sits beside Cas and Emma on the couch. Now that she’s calmed, Emma’s little body starts to shut down fast. Cas shifts her so that she can curl up against his chest, and even though she has a frown on her face and contempt in her eyes, Dean can’t help the overwhelming swell of love in his heart.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he strokes his fingers over her fine blonde hair. “I’ll tell Santa you made him a bunch of beautiful cookies and that I ate them before he could get here, okay?”

“You talk to Santa?” she frowns, Castiel Novak’s skepticism written all over her face.

“Of course I do,” Dean says. “Moms and dads are Santa’s helpers.”

“That’s the elves,” Emma pouts.

“Elves make the toys up in the North Pole, yeah,” Dean scoots closer, slinging his arm over Cas so he’s cuddled with the two of them. “But Santa’s got helpers all over. That’s how he makes sure Christmas is so special every year.”

Cas glances over at him, one eyebrow cocked,  but Dean just shrugs and rests their heads together. Soon Emma sacks out, breathing soft and even into Castiel’s shirt. Fast asleep, she has an angelic quality about her, despite the ear shattering screams and incalculable ire of only a handful of minutes before.

Over the bridge of her nose, standing out against her pink-tinged skin, Dean can see a light smattering of freckles. He reaches over and runs a thumb along her cheek. Another look up and it becomes clear that Cas is fading fast too.

“Hey, let’s get her upstairs,” Dean whispers, jostling Cas back into wakefulness. Dean stands and starts in to hoist Emma off of Cas, but he stops. He never expected for Cas to look so good with a kid cuddled up with him, but damn if it ain’t a fine sight.

He could look at this for the rest of his life and be perfectly content, except.

Except there’s something off about it.

And then it hits him.

Yeah, they didn’t plan on Emma being a part of their lives--hell, without Emma, who’s to say that they would even be a they? Strange as it sounds, he thinks that Emma might make him smarter, and it’s only because he was smarter that he ended up realizing his feelings for Cas.

And it’s only because he’s smarter that he realizes that something is missing.

Rather, someone is missing.

He wants a baby to hold too, while Cas is holding Emma. They’re a trio, and trios are great, but there’s something about a square that feels much more satisfying. It’s like looking at pictures of him with mom and dad before Sammy was born, or of Bobby, Ellen, and Jo before Sam and Dean came into their lives--it may say ‘family’, but it doesn’t say ‘complete’. If they’re going to do this whole family thing, they may as well run with it.

But fuck, how do you tell your partner that you want another kid? It’s not exactly like they can just up and quit their birth control and start making babies willy-nilly. Plus, they’ve never even considered the possibility, and it’s the kind of thing you really need to think about, right?

Shit.

Dean reaches down and picks Emma up off of Cas’ lap. Cas snorts awake and rubs his eyes, “Wh’s happ’ng.”

“Putting Emma back in bed,” Dean whispers. “Be back in a sec.”

Dean carries Emma up to Jo’s room, where Jo has inflated an air mattress and covered it in Emma’s favorite princess blankets. Dean sets her down and crouches beside her to tuck her in. Her face scrunches and she wakes up, but only long enough for Dean to kiss her on the forehead and say, “I love you, baby girl. Very much.”

She moans and brings her stuffed giraffe into her chest.

“Me too,” she mumbles, and slips back into sleep.

Yeah, he could definitely do this for another kid.

oo

When Castiel stirs, it’s only barely getting light outside. How Dean managed to heft him up into bed is a mystery in and of itself, but he did and it seems he’s hellbent on keeping him there, as he has octopussed his limbs around Castiel’s entire frame.

It’s nice, until three seconds later when Castiel remembers just why his chest feels so heavy.

By no means is he close with his parents, but there’s a weight of rejection bearing down that makes his eyes burn. Dean and Emma are his family--not the one he was born to, but the one he chose, the one that he built, and to have it so easily dismissed is nothing short of soul-crushing.

Cas’ eyes burn and he tries to get away, but Dean tightens his grip on him and buries his nose in his neck.

“S’still dark, go back to sleep,” he mumbles and looks up. His face contorts with concern and he asks, “You okay?”

“I think yesterday might be catching up with me,” says Castiel.

“Shit,” Dean shifts and nuzzles Cas’ jaw. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“It’s not your fault,” Cas sniffs and sits up. “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s Christmas, we can talk about it when we get home.”

He pats Dean on the side and sits up. Sam isn’t in his bed, and Castiel is willing to bet that he and Dean are the laggers this year. They slide out of bed, and before they head downstairs, Dean pulls Castiel in for a kiss.

“I ever tell you you’re a good dad?”

That does the trick, pulls Cas’ lips into a grin and makes him feel as though he can get through the next few hours.

They come downstairs only to find Sam and Jo on the floor with Emma, pointing out her gifts and already pumping her full of sugar.

“Morning, kiddos!”

Cas and Dean whirl around to see Gabriel with two piping hot mugs of coffee in hand. Immediately Cas’ spirits lift, and then soar when he sees Anna standing behind him. He pushes past Gabriel and throws his arms around her, relieved beyond words to have his big sister here with him.

“Gabriel told me what happened,” she says and pulls back to look him in the eye. “I’m so sorry, Castiel.”

And here she is, the calm to the storm--cool and collected where Gabriel is bristly and chaotic, where Castiel too easily compromised, at least as far as emotions go.

“What are you two doing here?” Castiel asks.

“Come on,” Gabe claps them both on the shoulders. “We’d much rather spend Christmas with you guys than with mom and Nutsackariah.”

Anna snorts and covers her mouth, as Castiel nods, “Charming.”

“Daddy, papa!” Emma calls and bounds over to them. Her face is already sticky from candycanes, and in her hands she holds a long, messily wrapped gift. “Santa came! He came!”

“Maintain, Gabriel,” Anna warns, and Gabriel has to hide his laugh in her shoulder.

“I wanna open presents!” Emma bounces. “Daddy can we open presents?”

“Give us a minute, baby,” Dean yawns into his coffee. “Did you say hi to Uncle Gabe and Aunt Anna?”

“Did you?” Emma shoots back and Gabriel lets out a laugh.

“Oh, you are a little sass monster,” he says. “I like you.”

“I like you too,” she replies. “You gave me cookies.”

“Emma, honey,” Castiel crouches beside her. “Did you meet your Aunt Anna?”

Emma pops her fingers in her mouth and nods, so Castiel continues, “Aunt Anna is my older sister, just like Uncle Gabriel is my older brother.”

“Hello, Emma,” Anna gives her a wave.

“Hi,” Emma waves back. “You brought presents.”

“I did,” Anna nods.

It was a blow to mom’s sensibilities when Anna announced that she was not interested in motherhood, and Gabriel, while having a way with kids, was of the same mind. When mom realized that quiet, strange Castiel was the only one of her children left, she hadn’t held out much hope for becoming a grandmother.

And now that mom actually has a grandchild, mom decides to reject her.

Castiel will never, ever understand that woman.

“I wanna open presents!” Emma cries again.

“I know, baby,” Dean grabs her and hoists her up into his arms. “Can you give me and pops five minutes?”

Emma replies by whining and going limp against Dean, so Gabriel steps in, “Hey sassypants, we can grab the loot out of your stocking in the mean time.” He nudges Dean, “Hand her over, daddy-o, we got some plundering to do.”

Affection crests in Castiel’s heart as he watches his brother and his daughter together, but it’s short lived as soon as Anna says, “Mom had no right.”

“No shit,” Dean shakes his head, and then, at a look from Castiel, silences himself with his coffee.

“I’d say that she’ll come around in time, but we both know that’s not true,” Anna continues.

“Thank you, Anna, but I don’t think the holidays are the time to discuss this,” says Castiel. “Let’s open presents before Emma starts climbing the walls.”

Castiel may not be a child any longer, but he certainly remembers what it’s like to be a kid on Christmas morning. He and Anna and Gabriel would sit through hours of church, of nativity stories and Christmas songs, all for the sake of getting to sit around the Christmas tree together and open up gifts.

It was the only time they actually felt like a family, one of the only times mom and Zachariah tolerated their children being just that: children.

Castiel sits down on the floor by Gabriel, and Dean plops down by Sam, which then leads to Jo draping herself across the both of their laps. Anna, as she always has done, sits stoically beside Castiel and folds her hands in her lap, waiting patiently.

“Jesus, lighten up, you two,” Gabriel loops an arm around Castiel’s neck.

“All right, all right,” says Bobby as he crouches beside the pile of presents under the tree. “Let’s get Little Miss Sunshine all squared away.”

He grabs a present and hands it to Emma, “Here you go.”

Without anywhere else to sit, Emma walks over to Anna and sits down in her lap. Castiel can feel her tense beside him, but after a moment she relaxes.

The gift turns out to be the first of many for Emma. The rest of them climb over one another, pushing and pulling and laughing. By the time everyone is done opening presents, Emma is exhausted. Castiel remembers the feeling--all the build up and excitement always left him passed out, usually draped over Gabriel’s lap or Anna’s.

Emma simply curls up under the tree with her giraffe and passes out there.

It’s not until now that he realizes how lonely it must be to be the only child on Christmas. He came into a family already in progress, served as the completer piece of his mother’s children. There has never been a moment of his life that he has not had siblings to love and love him in return.

Crowley always talks about how he loved being an only child, and so does Meg. The thing is, Castiel doesn’t think he’d mind having an only child, if indeed his only child was anything like Crowley or Meg.

“Hey,” Dean scoots up beside him. “You’re lookin’ a little spacey over here. You okay?”

“Do you ever think about having another kid?” Castiel asks, only to have Dean shove him an instant later. “What the hell, Dean!”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“What did I do?”

“No shitting you, I was thinking about it last night,” Dean says, eyes wide. “Are you a witch? You have to tell me now if you’re a witch.”

Castiel frowns, “Are you okay?”

“Gabriel may have given me a little Bailey’s for my coffee,” Dean admits and leans back on his hands. “Man, though. Like, don’t joke about this if you’re not seriously about it.”

Cas laughs, “If I’m not ‘seriously’ about it?”

“Shut up,” Dean nudges him. “It’s not like we can just have a baby, y’know? It’s not like either of us got oven to put a bun in.”

“True, but there are other ways of going about it, aren’t there?” Castiel looks from Emma to Dean. “I’d like it if we had another.”

Dean smiles at that, obviously off in thought, “Maybe get one that looks like you this time. With your little hair and your messy face.”

“Wow,” Cas laughs. “How much Bailey’s did Gabriel give you?”

“Shut up, not that much,” Dean sits back up. “Man, if you’re serious--”

“I am,” Castiel nods. “I think there are a lot more things to consider than just whether or not we should do it, but yes. I would like to have another kid.”

He glances back at Emma, her chubby cheek squished against her giraffe and her little face so soft and content. There's nothing in this world that he wouldn't do for his little girl. He wants his children to know that he will always be there for them, that they will always be a part of him, and that he will always, always, _always_ love them.

Even if they fall in love with a gigantic dork and said dork’s incredible child.

**Author's Note:**

> ** See Series Notes for update information


End file.
